Scuderia Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost has heaped praise on rookie driver Daniil Kvyat for his performances across the first half of his debut season in Formula 1.

The Russian youngster joined Toro Rosso at the beginning of the season as Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement following the Australian’s promotion to Red Bull. Although he has only scored six points, he has enjoyed a number of good runs in races and has had the edge on experienced teammate Jean-Eric Vergne.

“He is doing a very good job,” Tost told Toro Rosso’s official website. “Taking into consideration how little mileage he was able to do before the season, he is driving very well, showing that he has natural speed.

“Equally importantly, he has had no accidents, nor has he made any mistakes. He is doing a fantastic job.”

As for Vergne? Tost is pleased with his results, but appeared to be a little less enthusiastic about the Frenchman’s season so far.

“He has suffered a lot with reliability issues, but when his car was running fine, he delivered good performances,” he said. “Thanks to his experience he makes an important contribution to the team’s technical development and I’m convinced that there is still more to come from him.”

Tost is not the only fan of Kvyat, with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner also praising the Russian for his first half-season in Formula 1.

“He has been sensational and has been the rookie of the season so far,” Horner told Autosport. “His raw pace and speed, considering the jump he has made from GP3, is hugely impressive.”

Quite what the future holds for Vergne is unclear, but it is evident that Kvyat is a big part of the future for Red Bull. Although a move to the senior team may be unlikely, he is certainly making waves during his junior year in Formula 1.